Peter Hoskins
Business reporter, Singapore

What are the differences between the economies of the UK and China?

For starters let's look at their relative sizes. Last year, the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) stood at about $4tn (£2.9tn). That's dwarfed by around $20tn for China.

They're also growing at very different rates. The UK expanded by roughly 1.5% in 2025. Meanwhile, Beijing says its economy grew 5%. But to be fair, that kind of gap is not unusual when comparing a highly-developed economy like the UK with one that's still developing.

Those differences go on, from China's vast manufacturing base to its domination of the world's rare earths market.

And then there's the small matter of China operating a socialist market economy - a hybrid system that blends centralised state planning with market forces, whereas Britain is far more liberal market economy.

Image source, PA Media

It is now the evening in Beijing, meaning much of the diplomacy of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's trip will take place tomorrow.

Here's what we know about his agenda:

• Starmer will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Thursday for talks on trade, investment and national security
• The PM will then travel to Shanghai for a range of engagements with British and Chinese businesses - he will be joined by Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle and Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby
• After visiting Beijing and Shanghai, he will then fly on to Japan to meet with the country's new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi,in Tokyo

China has incentives to forge closer ties with the UK, both economically and politically, says Dr Yu Jie, a senior research fellow on China at Chatham House

Economically, China's current investment in the UK is "very minimal", at only about 0.7% of the direct foreign investment into the UK.

But it's for this reason, alongside the current state of the Chinese economy, that Beijing and China's corporations see the UK as a destination for investment, she adds.

She says that China may see the UK as a stable partner that can bring "order and organisation", amid the "disruption" of US President Donald Trump's foreign policy.

Starmer visit important for Beijing's global opticspublished at 09:59 GMT

09:59 GMT

Laura Bicker
China correspondent

China believes the UK is too close to the United States and simply follows Washington when it comes to foreign policy.

So this visit for them is partly about the optics, about the prestige of showing images of a British prime minister, a key US ally, touring the Forbidden City and meeting Xi Jinping.

The UK is not one of China's top trading partners, but officials still see London as an important financial heartland and will be keen to do a deal.

China is using its status as the factory of the world to draw western countries a little closer. It wants to be seen as a reliable partner, as Donald Trump threatens trade tariffs.

For Beijing, trade is the key to gaining global standing and influence as it plays the long game in its great power competition with Washington.

We've just seen images of Starmer walking down the stairs of the plane in Beijing.

The PM stepped on to a red carpet and was greeted by delegates from the Chinese government.

Starmer signals that China's size makes it unignorablepublished at 09:34 GMT

09:34 GMT

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

The prime minister is trying to reboot relations between the UK and China - and the most visible way of doing that is by visiting China. He is the first British prime minister to go there for eight years.

I was on that trip in 2018 and there was no sense then of how fast relations between the UK and China would cool. We were still in the aftermath of the so-called Golden Era at that point, spearheaded by David Cameron and George Osborne.

Clearly, things have changed dramatically since then.

I don’t think Keir Starmer is intending to signal that he is going back to those days.

What he is trying to say to the British public is that China’s size makes it simply unignorable.

Image source, Getty Images

We can now confirm that Keir Starmer has landed in China, according to our political editor Chris Mason, who is travelling with the PM.

It's just past 17:15local time in Beijing. Starmer is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow.

This is the first time a UK prime minister has visited the country since 2018.

Starmer is travelling with around 60 British business and cultural leaders and hopes to develop trade ties.

Image source, Chris Mason/BBC

Ian Tang
BBC Monitoring

Image source, Getty Images

Ahead of Starmer's arrival in Beijing, China's state media outlets have voiced expectation of improved bilateral relations, even though issues affecting ties remain.

The Global Times says that while China and the UK do not see eye to eye on every issue, both sides "can seek solutions through rational dialogue based on mutual respect and pragmatic cooperation".

The editorial also calls for vigilance "against some voices that exaggerate specific differences and turn them into ideological confrontations".

Several media outlets have republished an article by Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, written for The Times on 27 January, which more or less summed up what Beijing thinks:

"China and Britain don't see eye to eye but we share many interests."

Our team in Beijing have just sent through these pictures of the UK flag flying in Tiananmen Square, as Keir Starmer is due to arrive in the Chinese capital shortly.

Chris Mason
Political editor

As we approach Beijing a familiar voice comes over the plane tannoy from the cockpit.

The prime minister has commandeered the kit to talk to passengers — and thanked the corporate and cultural delegation who are accompanying him for coming along.

He ended with a joke — that we should sit back and relax, and he would be landing the plane in Beijing.

Image source, NEIL HALL/EPA/Shutterstock

We're now hearing from Liz Kendall, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology.

She tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government is "pretty clear eyed" about the UK's relationship with China, adding that "our national security always comes first".

She says the government will raise the issue of human rights abuses with China, but also wants to "deliver for our national interest in terms of the economy".

When asked whether the government trusts China's President Xi Jinping, she doesn't answer directly, but says the government "understands the national security issues".

When asked about the China security threat - and whether anyone in Downing Street is being hacked right now - Kendall says: "My understanding is that all the security measures are in place, and that [it] is safe for people throughout Downing Street, including the prime minister."

• As our previous post explains, the UK team are using "burner phones" and notebooks, due to spying fears

Chris Mason
Political editor, travelling with the prime minister

Image source, Chris Mason / BBC

Good morning from the prime minister’s plane. We are an hour or so shy of Beijing now.

Keir Starmer’s immediate plans on arrival are relatively limited as it’ll be early evening local time as we land — you’ll see pictures of him getting off the plane and he’ll address the travelling pack of corporate and cultural bigwigs who are on this plane too who are representing brand Britain.

The big day is tomorrow, when Starmer meets President Xi, among others.

Image source, Getty Images

William Butler-Adams - chief executive of folding bike company Brompton, who is accompanying the prime minister on the China visit - says there are "exciting" business opportunities in China.

He says his company opened a "little store" in China as an experiment, which led to China becoming the company's largest market globally.

"I think sometimes our perspective from the UK is not a real perspective… we have politicians who talk about China or any other part of the world, but they've never really been there," he tells Radio 4’s Today programme.

He says many in UK don’t understand the "people, culture or opportunity" that China presents.

"So I'm sort of there to encourage the engagement by our politicians to better understand the opportunity," he adds.

As we’ve been reporting, Keir Starmer wants a "comprehensive and consistent approach" to relations with Beijing.

But the possibility of spying, or security threats, does not seem to be lost on the UK government.

Members of the UK team are all on "disposable burner phone numbers and temporary email addresses", our political editor Chris Mason reports from the flight to Beijing.

Modern tech like iPads and earbuds have all been "left at home under the bed", swapped for "notepads and pens" and other kit "that they might not bring back", he says.

"Such is the anxiety about security, about bugging, about spying."

We have just heard from Lord Beamish (former Labour MP Kevan Jones), the head of the intelligence and security committee in Parliament.

He tells Radio 4's Today programme: "We've got to have a clear-eyed approach to China, but also be vigilant about the security threat that it poses."

He says the trip is an "opportunity" for Starmer to "raise issues around human rights and other concerns that we have," and tells the programme he does think the trip is the right thing for the PM to do.

"We've got to keep engagement," he says. "We've got to be very clear though in terms of our domestic interests."

Suranjana Tewari
Asia business correspondent

It's been a difficult few years for UK businesses in China - but demand seems to be picking up and firms are now seeing an improvement in trade between the two countries.

According to UK government data, UK exports rose 6.4% to £22.6bn ($29.3bn) between mid-2024 and 2025, reversing a decline the year before.

Some areas of the UK are driving the recovery. In England's North West, exports have surged by more than 40%, led by sales of high-tech generators and pharmaceuticals.

In the South West, exports of machinery, medical equipment and transport-related goods grew for a fourth straight year.

Services are performing even more strongly - in business, finance, education, technology, legal, accounting, and digital services.

Travel and tourism are also rebounding, with visits from China to the UK rising sharply, and Chinese visitors once again becoming an important source of spending for Britain's hotels, retailers and attractions.

The trade relationship remains heavily tilted in China's favour - but the latest figures show British exports are recovering.

Image source, Getty Images

Keir Starmer says his visit to China - in which he's accompanied by dozens of British business leaders - will bring financial benefit "back to the United Kingdom".

Speaking to reporters on the flight to Beijing, he says the fact that "so many CEOs" of UK companies are travelling in the delegation is "evidence that there are opportunities" to be taken - opportunities he says will lead to benefits "back at home".

China has been accused of crimes against humanity against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of Xinjiang.

There has also been criticism over the treatment of Jimmy Lai - the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon and UK citizen – who is facing a life sentence in prison.

Starmer says: "In the past, on all the trips I've done, I've always raised issues that need to be raised, but I don't want to get ahead of myself on the specifics until I've had the opportunity...

"Part of the reason for engaging with China is so that issues where we disagree can be discussed, and the issues where we agree can be progressed, and so that's the approach."

Chris Mason
Political editor, travelling with the prime minister

This trip marks the latest and most important moment in the government’s attempt to deepen the UK’s relationship with China.

The chancellor, the deputy prime minister and the business secretary have all been already. Now it’s the Keir Starmer's turn.

He’s expressed his frustration at what he sees as a "dereliction of duty" from recent Conservative governments in shutting out Beijing. He points out the Canadian prime minister and French president have both been recently, and says the UK had become an "outlier" in its outlook on China among comparable Western economies.

Dozens of British outfits, corporate and cultural, are represented on this trip - including Barclays, Jaguar Land Rover, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Sir Keir Starmer's argument is China is one of the world's biggest economic players, so a strategic and consistent relationship is in the UK's national interest.

And he insists engaging with Beijing allows issues such as human rights abuses to be raised with them.

But the Conservatives counter that with the recent approval of a new Chinese mega embassy in central London. Starmer's approach amounts to what they call "surrender" when China, as they put it, "poses a serious threat to our national security".

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Keir Starmer is set to land in China in the coming hours - the first British prime minister to visit the country since Theresa May in 2018.

Speaking to reporters on the plane, he says he wants "a comprehensive and consistent approach to China" - rather than veering "from golden age to ice age".

The prime minister is expected to meet President Xi Jinping in Beijing. He will also meet local business leaders in the three-day visit, and travel to Shanghai.

The visit comes at a time of heightened trade tensions - with the US last week threatening Canada with 100% tariffs when Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed a "strategic partnership" with China.

Starmer is also expected to raise human rights issues - although, speaking on the flight, he declined to go into details. We'll have more on that soon.

We'll have updates from political editor Chris Mason, who's travelling with the prime minister, our China correspondents Laura Bicker and Stephen McDonell, and our teams across the region. Stick with us.